The women building businesses during the pandemic

Will more people be drawn to entrepreneurship as a result of this pandemic?

Will more women find themselves launching their own businesses, either by choice or circumstance?

These questions have been on my mind for some time, and today we’re publishing the first articles in a mini-series that explores this topic. 

There is no question this pandemic has disproportionately affected women. Women account for the majority of workers on the frontline, and they’ve lost their jobs at a much faster rate than men. 

The job losses alone mean we’ve already lost years’ worth of progress towards gender equality. 

There were already long-term problems plaguing our childcare system that put women at a disadvantage, and those have been brought to the fore, particularly in Victoria, where families continue to grapple with working from alongside remote learning. 

Governments at all levels will soon introduce policies and programs to address these urgent issues, but I believe offering practical support to women looking to grow their own businesses needs to be at the top of that priority list, particularly for women from marginalised or disadvantaged backgrounds. 

In the series, we’ll introduce you to women who have recently launched a business, have gone all-in on their side hustle after quitting their day jobs, or are getting ready to go live with their new venture. 

The three businesses featured are at different stages in their journeys and offer vastly different products. But what they do have in common is they are each driven by values of sustainability, community and wellbeing. 

The series will also feature exclusive extracts from Sarah Davidson’s new book, Seize the Yay, which describes how a dose of impostor syndrome almost stopped the Matcha Maiden co-founder from launching her now-fast-growing business. 

Plus, we have a guest article from respected business coach Fiona Killackey, who explains just how human a new business owner needs to be when they’re starting out, and Melbourne entrepreneur Phoebe Simmons will share some valuable lessons learnt from launching, and adapting, her hairdressing boutique The Blow. 

I hope you enjoy reading each of these articles and share them with a woman in your life is dipping her toes into the business world as we speak.

NOW READ: How Matcha Maiden co-founder Sarah Davidson left corporate law and found her ‘yay’

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